“Fighting Tiere,” often mistakenly referred to as “Fighting Seekentauren,” is an artwork by Albrecht Dürer, created around 1494. Dürer was a pivotal figure of the Northern Renaissance, and this piece falls under the genre of mythological painting. The piece is located in the Albertina museum in Vienna, Austria. It exemplifies the detailed and precise draftsmanship for which Dürer is renowned.
The artwork is a dynamic pen and ink drawing that depicts a chaotic battle scene involving various mythological creatures and human figures. In the foreground, a muscled male figure with the lower body of a sea creature, which would technically classify him as a ‘sea centaur’ or ‘ichthyocentaur,’ is locked in combat with another such figure. Around them are other figures engaged in the battle, including both humans and creatures from Greek mythology. One figure appears to be blowing a conch shell, perhaps as a call to battle or to signal victory. The meticulous hatching and cross-hatching technique Dürer used gives the work depth and a sense of movement, capturing the tumultuous energy of the mythical skirmish. The attention to anatomy and muscle structure is particularly noticeable and contributes to the lifelike depiction of the chaotic scene.
